Display holder for belts



9 v w. H. MEEKER EVTAL 2,855,132

DISPLAY HOLDER -FOR BELTS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 10, 1957 FIG.4

INVENTORS William H. Meeker y Douglas RSolter M r 771W Arm Oct. 7, 1958Filed April 10, 1957 l7 l i 1 w. H. MEEKER ETAL 2,855,132

DISPLAY HOLDER FOR'BELTS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORJ' William H. MeekerBY Douglas R.Salrer ATTVJ United States Patent DISPLAY HOLDER FOR BELTSWilliam H. Meeker and Douglas R. Salter, Rochester, N. Y., assignors toHickok Manufacturing Co. Inc., Rochester, N. Y., a corporation of NewYork Application April 10, 1957, Serial No. 652,060

4 Claims. (Cl. 223-85) This invention relates generally to displaydevices and pertains more particularly to a display assemblyincorporating a belt and a combined holder and support therefor to beutilized in conjunction with a display rack.

Belts, particularly mens belts, are usually displayed in one of twoways, either in boxes or they are some times hung by the buckle end froma horizontal support rod. Both have disadvantages, both from thestandpoint of the customer and from the standpoint of the salesman.Boxes, although they are very neat appearing and serve in general toenhance the sales appeal of the belts, nevertheless require a great dealof space if many different types of belts are to be displayed and it isnot an infrequent occurrence that sufiicient display space is notavailable to adequately display all of the different types of beltswhich may be in stock in this form. Belts suspended by their buckle endsfrom a horizontal support, on the other hand, do not lend a particularlysightly appearance inasmuch as the belts hang freely and if a number ofbeltsare hung side by side on such a support, although a great many arerepresented in the display, it is unquestionable whether the largeamount of belts thus displayed offsets the unsightly appearance of sucha display.

It is, therefore, a primary object of this invention to provide adisplay assembly for belts wherein two results are simultaneouslyaccomplished, namely, a great number and variety of belts are displayedand they are maintained in a neat appearing and compact condition whileon display.

It is another object of this invention to provide an improved displayassembly for belts incorporating a combined hanger and form for a beltso that the belt, when associated therewith, not only is displayed tofull advantage but is also provided with convenient means for suspendingthe same in displayed relationship.

Still another object of this invention resides in the provision of animproved display assembly of the character described wherein the hangeror form for the belt is constructed of a single length of generallyrod-like material having opposite end portions thereof bent and deformedin such a manner as to securely hold a belt in place and wherein thegreater intermediate portion of the holder is completely hidden fromview by the belt engaged thereon so that the hanger, while it forms aform or support for the belt, is at the same time, substantially hiddenfrom view and does not form an unsightly or distracting display.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a display holderfor belts which requires a minimum amount of space both in display andin shipping due to the fact that the belt when engaged upon the holderis in substantially flat, doubled-over condition.

A further object of this invention is to provide a novel display holderfor belts constructed of a single length of rod-like material whereineach end portion is bent so as to provide a pair of spaced bars overwhich a belt may be looped for holding the same in place on the holderand 7 2,855,132 Patented Oct. 7, 1958 "ice tion consists in theconstruction and novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafterfully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings and pointedout in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that variouschanges in the form, proportions, and minor details of construction,within the scope of the claims, may be resorted to without departingfrom the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a perspective view illustrating the manner in which thepresent invention is utilized;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view showing one of the belt display holdershaving a belt operatively associated therewith;

Fig. 3 is an elevational view showing details of the display holder perse; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged view showing the intermediate portion of amodified form of display holder.

Referring at this time more particularly to Fig. 1, the referencenumeral 10 indicates in general a more or less conventional form ofdisplay rack including a center post portion 11 having either its baseresting upon the floor or being provided with feet such as thoseindicated by the reference character 12 for supporting the same inupright position. The main body portion 11 is provided adjacent theupper end thereof with a plurality of support rods 13 which extendgenerally radially therefrom and which may or may not be provided withpivoted inner end portions 14 so that they may be swung relative to thecenter post 11. Display racks of this general character are more or lessconventional in the art and are utilized for many purposes, amongothers, to suspend a plurality of belts from each of the arms 13 and inthis respect, such belts are usually slipped over the individual armsthrough their buckles and are free to dangle or suspend themselves fromthe arms in more or less indiscriminate manner. The net effect of thisresults in a rather unsightly display and, although a great number ofbelts and varieties thereof may be displayed in this manner, and withina relatively small space, in many cases the large quantity of beltsdisplayed is more than offset by the unsightliness of the display. Fig.1, however, serves to illustrate the manner in which display racks ofthe general character described can also be utilized to advantage withthe instant invention while still retaining a very neat appearingdisplay, Fig. 1 showing one of the arms 13 provided with a series ofdisplay belts 15 suspended therefrom.

In Fig. 2, one of the individual display packages is shown, the beltbeing indicated generally by the reference character 16 and the holderor hanger being indicated generally by the reference character 17. Fromthis figure, it will be apparent that, although the hanger 17 serves tomaintain the belt 16 in doubledover flattened condition, and thusdisplay the entire belt, rather than just a portion thereof, thegreatest portion of the holder is completely hidden from view inasmuchas it is disposed between the doubled-over portions of the belt. Thebelt itself is, of course, displayed in a natural appearing manner sincethe free end and the buckle are secured together in the conventionalmanner and, as a matter of fact, the display itself generallyapproximates the appearance of a belt when actually worn.

The belt may be provided in the usual manner with a style and price tag18 and, additionally, adjacent end portions of the displayed belt may beheld together by means of suitable bands 19 and 20 so as to, in general,

maintain a neat appearance to the assembly. As shown in Fig. 2, the beltis substantially wholly exposed except in those portions thereof coveredby the bands 19 and 20 but it will be appreciated that theentirebodyportion of the belt may be covered with a cellophane wrapper or the likeleaving just the upper or book end portion of the hanger exposed forengagement with a suitable support such as the arms 13 of the displayrack as showninFig. 1.

The hanger itself, as is shown most clearly in Fig. 3, preferablyincorporates a single length of-rod-like material having an elongateintermediate or central body portion 21 and deformedOPPosite endportions 22 and 23 serving with transversely extending means as supportmeans ,for the opposite end loops of the belt 16 as shown in Fig. 2 andwith one end 22 being provided with a hooklike portion 24 for supportingthe assembly from a rod or the like.

The end portion 23 is preferably formed by an obliquely directed legportion 25 extending from the central portion 21 and merging with thegenerally U-shaped ear portion 26 and thence connected to a bar ortransversely extending belt loop engaging means or portion 27 which isdisposed substantially at right angles to the main body portion 21.Continuing from the bar portion27, another ear portion 28 is providedwhich is generally of U-shaped configuration and which has a legextension portion 29 extending angularly back toward the main bodyportion to terminate in an end 30 positioned generally adjacent thejuncture between the aforementioned leg 25 and the main body portion 21.

The bar .27 and the ear portions 26 and 28 disposed on opposite sidesthereof are so associated as to provide a saddle to receive and retainone looped end portion of the belt which is engaged thereover.

The oppositeend 22 is formed with a leg portion 31 extending obliquelyfrom the main body portion 21 and having a generally U-shaped earportion 32 formed therewith remote from the main body portion 21 andthence extending generally transversely to themain body portion in thetransversely extending belt loop engaging means or bar 33, whereafterthe material is bent acutely to present the neck portion 34 whichterminates in theaforementioned hook 24. Thus, the bar 33 is bounded onone side by the ear portion 32 and on the opposite side by the neckportion 34 so that it too, like the bar 27, presents a saddle-likesupport for its associated looped end of the belt.

Preferably, the bars 27 and 33 are so situated with respect to the mainbody-portion 21 that extensions of the same bisect the bar portions 27and 33 and his also preferred thatthe eye portion 35 of the hook 24 isin alignment with the axis of the main body portion 21. ,The hangermaybe made of any suitable material, such as plastic, metallic wire or thelike, but it is preferred that the same be relatively resilientparticularly as this permits the same to provide a goo-d stretchingaction on the belt mounted thereon. For example, if a leather belt isdisplayed, it is possible to buckle the same so that the opposite endsof the loops are spaced apart slightly less than the bars 27 and 33 sothat the intermediate main body portion 21 may be flexed slightly toaccommodate for this disparity in length and thereafter hold the belt intension and properly flattened on opposite sides of the hanger. The mainbody portion 21 constitutes a means for effecting a predeterminedspacing apart of-the transversely extending, substantially aligned beltloop engaging means 27 and 33.

.As a modification, to accommodate for belts of various lengths and alsoto pretension that type of belt such as a leather belt which is notinherently elastic, a modified construction such as that shown in Fig. 4may be employed. Fig. 4 illustrates a modified main body portioncorresponding to the main body portion 21 in Fig. 3 and disclosessuchportionto be construced of two rod- .4 like members 36 and 37 havingoverlapping portions 38 and 39 each terminating in a looped end portion40 and 41 embracing the other member, substantially as shown.

, A tension spring 42 is disposed about the overlapped portions 38 and39 of the members and is attached at opposite ends to these members bysuitable means such as the looped portions 40 and 41 thereof so thatwhen the entire assembly is compressed so as to bring the bar portionsthereof closer together, the spring 42 is tensioned to urge the barportions apart when released, thus exerting a pretensioning effect onthe belt displayed on the assembly.

The hanger is not only useful for display purposes, but it is also, initself, a sales feature since it presents a convenient and neat meansfor the buyer to store his belt when not in use. Principally, however,the assembly is most useful for display purposes and as a means foratmee i the t nti n F -Q F an nd him to purchase one of the displayedbelts. In respect, it can be seen that a greatnumber of belts may besimultaneously displayed within arelativ'ely small space and in fullviewand sight of a customer, the belts at the same time, being neat andnatural appearing and offering a most pleasingdisplay thereof.

Apparel belts 'ofvarious characteristics and sizes may readily becarried by and displayed on the holder. For instance, if a relativelynon-resilient leather belt is mounted on the display holder, such belts,be they of the tongue-buckle type, have a series of openings at the endfofthe belt opposite the buckle and thus the sizes of the belt aredetermined by the opening in which the tongue of the buckle is placedand therefore it will be seen that diflferent sizes of leather belts maywell be carried on the holder such as shown in Fig. 3 as well as in themodification of the holder as in Fig. 4. Then, too, there are othertypes of buckles such as the cam type andthis provides for an adjustmentof the sizes of the belt and consequently the same holders, be they asin Figs. 2 and 3, would therefore accommodate belts of various sizes. Asto thedilferent characteristics of belts, there is also the elastic orresilient type belt and, further, the typeof buckle that is resilient,and with these belts, the same are readily adaptable for carrying anddisplaying on the present holder and obviously, therefore, differentsizes of such belts are adaptable to be held and displayed on theholders, both the main type as in Fig. 3 or the adjustable type as inFig. ,4.

By referring to the belt being flattened and slightly tightened when onthe holder or the belt being flattened and slightly tensioned when onthe holder, what is actually meant is that the belt, if it is ofleather, is buckled on the holder so that when looped thereabout, itwill not unintentionally be disengaged from the holder and the samesituation applies when the resilient or elastic type of belts aredisplayed'on the holder. The purpose of the lde i who e t be t thet nfa.di rla r t r pyr q e i We claim:

1- Aidiplay h ld -M91" a a pa e be s ho er comprising anelongated memberadapted to be positioned :betweenlooped end portions of a folded belthaving its terminals connected together, the member having generallyaligned parallel end portions for an engagement in said looped beltportions' across the width of the belt whereby the folded belt may bemaintained in a long flat loop, and suspending meansjoined to one oftheend portions and adapted to extendthereabove, said means having aportion for engaging a supporting means and coinciding with a linebisecting the end portions, the upper and lower portions of the elongatemember being symmetrically arranged with respect to the said bisectingne whereby i s ener .o st v t wi in de w t t saidbisecting line. Y i I2. Adisplay holder for apparel belts 9f various characteristics andsizes adapted individually to have their terminals connected so as toform a loop, the holder including an elongated body member with spacedapart substantially aligned transversely extending belt loop engagingmeans, at least a portion of the body member being between thetransverse means and constituting a means for effecting a predeterminedspacing apart of the transverse means, the amount of spacing of thetransverse means being substantially equal to the length of the loopwhen in substantially flattened and slightly tightened condition aboutthe transverse means so that the said belt may be maintained on and heldin its substantially flattened condition relative to the holder, andmeans carried by and extending beyond an end portion of the holder forengagement with a supporting means.

3. A display holder for apparel belts as defined in and by claim 2wherein the body of the holder between the transverse means includesspring means whereby the belt when on the holder is under slighttension.

4. A wire display holder for apparel belts of various characteristicsand sizes adapted individually to have their terminals connected so asto form a loop, the holder including an elongated wire body havingspaced apart substantially aligned transversely extending belt loopengaging portions integral with the wire body, the wire body beingbetween the transverse means and constituting a means for effecting apredetermined spacing apart of the transverse means, the amount ofspacing of the transverse means being substantially equal to the lengthof the loop when in substantially flattened and slightly tensionedcondition about the transverse means so that the said belt may bemaintained on and held in its substantially flattened condition relativeto the holder, and hook means integral with and extending from andbeyond a portion of one of the transverse means for engagement with asupporting means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS506,130 Perkins Oct. 3, 1893 593,745 Hughes Nov. 16, 1897 947,646Palmenberg Jan. 25, 1910 1,286,940 Cerny Dec. 10, 1918 2,707,610 Fillionet a1. May 3, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 351,677 France May 11, 1905

